The Ministry of Cultural Affairs today (21 November) announced seven innovative projects aimed at engaging youth and revitalising Bangladesh’s cultural landscape in the wake of the July Revolution.
The announcement came during a press conference at the Secretariat, chaired by Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki.
The seven initiatives, designed to foster creativity and inclusivity, are – ‘Remembering Monsoon Revolution,’ ‘Youth Festival,’ ‘Countrywide Talent Hunt,’ ‘Digital Oral History Project,’ ‘Bangla Academy Creative Writing Workshop and Research Project,’ ‘Installation of Modern Video Projection System at the National Museum,’ and ‘Show-Creator Workshops.’
Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki emphasised the projects’ significance in promoting cultural unity and diversity.
“The establishment of a cultural bridge is crucial after the revolution,” he said.
He further said, “We want to ensure that Bangladesh represents everyone—many people, many religions, many languages, and all cultures will be at the center of our policy. There will be no space for religious discrimination.”
In the written statement of the ministry, it was informed that ‘Remembering Monsoon Revolution’ will create new enthusiasm and new wave among the youth of Bangladesh. As part of this project, 8 visual content creation workshops will be organized in 8 categories by 8 top Bangladeshi creators, and 8 medium length visual content will be produced as output of the workshop while 8 new theater productions will also be created and staged.
An album of Nazrul’s songs will be made with youth-favorite local artists of the country and a concert will be organized centrally in Dhaka on the occasion of its release. This concert will be telecast across the country.
Besides, the July Revolution-centric photography, paintings and cartoons will be exhibited in the country through major exhibitions, according to the Ministry.
A grand ‘Youth Festival’ will take place from 30 December to 8 February next year, where the Ministry of Cultural Affairs will organize cultural events across the country.
As part of the countrywide talent search programme, the ministry will organise a countrywide talent search programme with the aim of creating a new cultural awakening among Bangladeshi children, adolescents and youth.
‘Digital Oral History Project’ will include a large-scale digital archiving. Millions of participants in the ‘Remembering Monsoon Revolution’ will have their involvement history captured by video cameras and compiled, and these videos will be displayed everywhere.
For aspiring authors, Bangla Academy will publish books and offer creative writing classes. In addition, 10 one-year research fellowships and funds for fifty research papers will be granted to the aspiring researchers, as part of the ‘Bangla Academy Creative Writing Workshop and Research Project’.
Besides, it was also revealed that the projection system in the National Museum auditoriums will be modernized to screen international films, documentaries and other visual content along with stage performances throughout the year, and the ‘Show-Creator Workshops’ will be organised for the promising youth of Bangladesh with experienced trainers of internationally renowned OTT platforms.
Syed Jamil Ahmed, Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, and Mohammad Azam, Director General of Bangla Academy, joined other ministry officials in presenting these initiatives.
